" FEAR is the tool of a man-made devil.
Self-confident faith in one's self is both the
man-made weapon which defeats this devil
and the man-made tool which builds a
triumphant life. And it is more than that.
It is a link to the irresistible forces of the
universe which stand behind a man who
does not believe in failure and defeat as being
anything but temporary experiences."
-NAPOLEON
HILL
Praise/or Napoleon Hill's
OUTWITTING THE DEVIL
"Outwitting the Devil proves once again that the messages and philosophies of Napoleon Hill are timeless. This book contains insights on
how to break free of habits and attitudes that prevent success and
will ultimately lead to happiness and prosperity. If you want to break
through your own roadblocks, read this book!"
New York Times best seller
Secrets ofthe Millionaire Mind
- T. HARV EKER, author of#l
"If you want to own your life, you have to own your money. In
Outwitting the Devil) Napoleon Hill shares what may be holding you
back in your financial life and charts the course for you to take
control and own the life of your dreams."
-JEAN CHATZKY, financial journalist and aurhor of
The Difference: How Anyone Can Prosper in Even the Toughest Times
"I have probably studied Napoleon Hill's work as much as anyone
alive. It was 50 years ago that I picked up Think and Grow Rich. I have
it with me all the time and read it every day. When Sharon Lechter
sent me a copy of Outwitting the Devil I thought Hill has done it
again, another world changer. This book is going to eliminate the
spiritual confusion people worldwide are presendy experiencing,
and it will tear down the wall of ignorance that separates millions of
individuals from the freedom their soul is seeking."
-BOB PROCTOR, founder of Life Success, www.bobproctor.com
'.
"Most people will achieve their greatest success one step beyond what
looked like their greatest failure. While Napoleon Hill's Think and
Grow Rich provided a roadmap to success, Outwitting the Devil will help
you break through the barriers that may be holding you back."
-BRIAN TRACY, author of The Way to Wealth
OUTWITTING
THE DEVIL
NAPOLEON HILL
OUTWITTING
THE DEVIL
The Secret to Freedom and Success
:--... ..
ANNOTATED BY
SHARON LECHTER
with The Napoleon Hill Foundation
~/"
';l~
~ STERLING
New York
CONTENTS
Note to Readers by Sharon Lechter ................................................. Xl
Foreword by Mark Victor Hansen ....................................... .
. .. xv
Chapter 1
My First Meeting with Andrew Carnegie ................ 1
Chapter 2
A New World Is Revealed to Me
Chapter 3
A Strange Interview with the Devil.
...... 51
Chapter 4
Drifting with the Devil ...................... .
... 71
ChapterS
The Confession Continues........................................... 97
Chapter 6
Hypnotic Rhythm ..
Chapter 7
Seeds of Fear ....
Chapter 8
Definiteness of Purpose.
Chapter 9
Education and Religion .............................................. 159
.... .............
31
................ 119
..................................................... 139
...................................... 147
Chapter 10 Self-Discipline ............................................................. 185
Chapter 11 Learning from Adversity.
..................................... 201
Chapter 12 Environment, Time, Harmony, and Caution
Summary.......................
.. 219
.................... ..................
243
Afterword by Michael Bernard Beckwith ............................................ 252
In Reflection by Sharon Lechter.................................................... 255
Acknowledgments ............................................................................ 259
About the Authors .............................................................................. 260
Index ........................................................................................................ 262
About The Napoleon Hill Foundation
................................... 268
Share Your Stories .............................................................................. 269
RIG HT: 77JU
introduction, i)'ped O ?l
(/
nWiltwltypel/Jriter with ihmdl/Jriuen ?Iote.i,
.limn t/;e or(gillill i/l(/?/I/script b), Ndpoleon /-lill.
*. * * * * *,*~* *
The boldest and the most inspiring of the
self-help books by Americats number one
success philosopher who, after thirty
:years of diligent snooping, found the
Devil and wrung from him an astounding
ccm:t:ession disclos1ng mere he lives,
why he- exists, and hotirhe gains control
over the minds of people, _
.sum ~~.
J!2! ~
The boo!. is a generous
course in pqcholog, maldng clear the
wrld.ng princip1.es of the htmIan mind.
lIhen you :f'1n1sh this story of the Dev1ll
you. 'Id.ll know much more about God.
*' * • • * .. *'
B
a;
pol e
0'
n
H1 1 1
author of
--
THINK AND GBOW RICH
MAsTER'" f(t;;: 'f
f~ J~7fps
NOTE TO READERS
by
SHARON LECHTER
OUTWITTING THE DEVIL is the most profound book I have
ever read.
First, I was incredibly honored when Don Green, CEO of
the Napoleon Hill Foundation, trusted me enough to ask me
to become involved in this project. And then I read the manuscript! I couldn't sleep for a week.
Written on a manual typewriter in 1938 by the Master himself, Napoleon Hill, this manuscript had been locked away and
hidden by Hill's family for seventy-two years. Why? Because
they were frightened by the response it would invoke. Hill's
courage in revealing the Devil's work around each of us every
day, in our churches, our schools, and our politics, threatened
the very core of society as it was known at the time.
When asked why the family had hidden the manuscript,
Don Green recites the following inside story:
It was the objections of Hill's wife, Annie Lou. She was
secretary to Dr. William Plumer Jacobs, president of
Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. Jacobs was
also owner ofJacobs Press and a public counselor to a group
of South Carolina textile firms. Jacobs hired Hill to come to
Clinton to work for him, and Annie Lou did not want the
book published because of the role of the Devil. She feared
the response ftom organized religion (and maybe for Hill's
job). Even though Hill died in 1970, Annie Lou did not
die until 1984. Upon Annie Lou's death, the manuscript
--+xi~
NAPOLEON
HILL
came into the possession of Dr. Charlie Johnson, then
the president of the Napoleon Hill Foundation. Charlie
was the nephew of Annie Lou Hill. Charlie's wife, Frankie,
knew and shared Annie Lou's feelings. Frankie told Charlie
that she did not want the article published while she was
alive either. Charlie's wife passed away a couple of years ago
and Charlie finally gave me the manuscript, bound in red
leather and embossed with the letters Outwitting the Devil in
gold on the cover. The Foundation believes the manuscript
has a powerful message that needs to be shared.
Mter speaking with Don, I was overcome with a powerful
realization. This book, even though written in 1938, was actually meant to be published today ... meant to rock our society
today! It was intended to provide answers during this uncertain economic and spiritual time. It provides the keys for each
of us to outwit the Devil in our own lives. It shows us how
to chart a course for success and to add value to the world
around us through the process.
Just as Think and Grow Rich helped us recover and succeed
after the Great Depression, Outwitting the Devil was written to
help each of us recover and succeed today!
You may ask if Hill believes his conversation with the Devil
was real, or was it merely imaginary? The choice is yours. But
I also asked Don Green about Hill's thoughts in his other
writings to see if we could get another look inside Hill's head.
Don's response was as follows:
The use of imaginary conversations was not new to Hill. In
1953, Hill published How to Raise Your Own Salary, which
was written as a conversation between Hill and Carnegie.
Hill had actually interviewed Carnegie in 1908 and
Carnegie died in 1919, well before its publication.
+ xii +
OUTWITTING
THE
DEVIL
This was not the first time Hill used imaginary meetings to convey what he was writing about. In Think and
Grow Rich, Hill, writing about the sixth sense, wrote about
his imaginary council meeting with the nine men whose
lifeworks had been the most impressive to Hill. These nine
imaginary council members were Emerson, Paine, Edison,
Darwin, Lincoln, Burbank, Napoleon, Ford, and Carnegie.
Hill wrote in Think and Grow Rich that during his meetings with his "Invisible Counselors" he found his mind
most receptive to ideas, thoughts, and knowledge that
reached him during these times when his sixth sense was
activated.
Outwitting the Devil was by no means his first time to
write about religion. In fact, after he published Law of
Success in 1928, he received letters of criticism about his
stance on schools and religion. In Think and Grow Rich, in
the chapter titled "The Six Ghosts of Fear," Hill wrote that
fear of death, in the majority of cases, could be charged to
religious fanaticism. Hill had much to say about religious
leaders in this section of his classic best seller.
Hill had much to say about religion even in his Hill's
Golden Rule Magazine. He wrote an article, "A Suggestion to
Ministers of the Gospel," in which he admonished church
leaders to teach their followers to practice harmony among
each other.
So the choice is yours. Did Hill actually talk to the Devil or
is this a parable created to reach and touch your heart? Hill's
unique style will pull you in and move you in ways you never
thought possible. The words in this book are Hill's own. Since
the original manuscript was quite lengthy, I edited with careful
precision to preserve the profound impact of his message.
+ XU! •
NAPOLEON
HILL
I have kept his original language in place even when modern
grammar may have dictated adjustments.
In an effort to highlight certain issues, bring clarity to his
words, and show how his predictions have become realities, I
have added my thoughts throughout the manuscript in a different type style. This allows you to choose to read the book
either with my comments or without.
Please enjoy this powerful book and share it with your
friends and family. The power in Hill's words can and will
change your life.
t
XlV
t
FOREWORD
DR.
HILL
is arguably the most famous self-help
action writer, thinker, evocateur, and best-selling author of all
time. We ask that you refer quickly to the actual interview with
the Devil. You will thus get the impact in your life of who the
Devil really is and what he does to 98 percent ofliving beings,
according to the Devil himself
As a thought stimulator, Hill quickly starts the book's
journey, taking us through his life and what was meaningful
and life-changing to him. Hill learned the greatest and most
useful and instantly helpful success principles on the planet,
but he did not know how to use and easily apply them. We predict that this is true for many people still today. It is easy to
say the words and sometimes even think the thoughts. It takes
a profound and lasting decision to actually live by the principles daily in every way. Sharon Lechter illuminates what Hill's
words mean when transported into today's dollars, thinking,
and understanding.
Dr. Hill's goal was to communicate clearly a philosophy
and practice of individual achievement that would stimulate
lasting happiness. His inner knower guided him to find his
own life's rainbow.
You are being tested now in the toughest times imaginable, just as Hill was during the Depression. He felt, acted,
and became depressed and despondent, an attitude that was
deleterious to his very beingness, just as it is to you and your
wellness. Reading this inspiring book can help you snap out of
NAPOLEON
--+xv+---
NAPOLEON
HILL
your lethargy and negative-mindedness and get you on a new
and more glorious path to an ever brighter, better, and more
rewarding future.
Like Hill, you are here to master your fears and not let
them master you, to live passionately and with purpose, to
decide what you want to be, do, and have, and to make it so.
As you rediscover the marvelous and magical discoveries of
Dr. Hill, you will know and believe that you can match them
and surpass them if you want to, because you are unlimited.
Hill correctly says, "Your only limitations are self-imposed."
This book will help you be aware that you can achieve your
breakthroughs using all that he learned by interviewing the
five hundred greatest living achievers.
You will discover whether the Devil he interviews is real
or imaginary, much like the Devil that you may personally be
dealing with in your life and experience.
-MARK VICTOR HANSEN
New York Times bestselling series Chicken Soup for The Sou[® and co-author of Cracking the
Millionaire Code, The One Minute Millionaire, and Cash in a Flash.
MARK VICTOR HANSEN
is co-creator of the
+ XVI +
#1
+
Chapter One +
MY FIRST
MEETING WITH
ANDREW
CARNEGIE
F
my major
purpose has been that of isolating and organizing into
a philosophy of achievement the causes of both failure
and success, with the object of being helpful to others
who have neither the inclination nor the opportunity to
engage in this form of research.
My labor began in 1908, as the result of an interview that I
had with the late Andrew Carnegie. I frankly told Mr. Carnegie
that I wished to enter law school and that I had conceived the
idea of paying my way through school by interviewing successful men and women, finding out how they came by their
success, and writing stories of my discoveries for magazines. At
the end of our first visit Mr. Carnegie asked whether or not I
possessed enough courage to carry out a suggestion he wished
to offer me. I replied that courage was about all I did have and
that I was prepared to do my best to carry out any suggestion
he cared to offer.
He then said, "Your idea of writing stories about men and
women who are successful is commendable, as far as it goes,
and I have no intention of trying to discourage you from carrying out your purpose, but I must tell you that if you wish
to be of enduring service, not only to those now living, but
to posterity as well, you can do so if you will take the time to
organize all of the causes of failure as well as all of the causes
of success.
"There are millions of people in the world who have not
the slightest conception of the causes of success and failure.
The schools and colleges teach practically everything except
the principles of individual achievement. They require young
men and women to spend from four to eight years acquiring
abstract knowledge, but do not teach them what to do with
this knowledge after they get it.
OR MORE THAN A QUARTER OF A CENTURY
----+
2
+---
OUTWITTING
THE
DEVIL
"The world is in need of a practical, understandable philosophy of achievement, organized from the factual knowledge gained from the experience of men and women in the
great university of life. In the entire field of philosophy I find
nothing which even remotely resembles the sort of philosophy which I have in mind. We have few philosophers who are
capable of teaching men and women the art ofliving.
"It seems to me that here is an opportunity which should
challenge an ambitious young man of your type; but ambition
alone is not enough for this task which I have suggested. The
one who undertakes it must have courage and tenacity.
"The job will require at least twenty years of continuous
effort, during which the one who undertakes it will have to
earn his living from some other source, because this sort of
research is never profitable at the outset, and generally those
who have contributed to civilization through work of this
nature have had to wait a hundred years or so after their own
funerals to receive recognition for their labor."
NOTE to READERS: Sharon Lechter adds her comments in special sections like this.
Twenty years of labor with no pay and possibly no recognitionl How would you respond to this "offer''? As he discusses
below, Hill accepted Carnegie's challenge and, with a letter of
introduction &om Carnegie, set about interviewing the giants
of that time, induding Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Edison,
John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Alexander Graham Bell,
King Gillette (founder of the Gillette Safety Razor Company),
and many others. His effort ultimately culminated in the publication of several books, including the eight-volume Law of
Success and Think and Grow Rich after more than twenty-five
years of research. Think and Grow Rich is widely recognized as
.3
+
NAPOLEON
HILL
the seminal work in self-development, introducing essentially
all the principles that continue to serve as the foundation for
the teachings of the personal development gurus of today. As
reflected in I-lill's own description, the process of developing
and publishing Think and Grow Rich was itself a study in the
principles he revealed. It may be telling that the manuscript of
Outwitting the Devil was written the year after Think and Grow
Rich was published, since this work may reveal the frustration
and revelation of Hill's "other self" and how he conquered
his frustrations and succeeded in using the very principles he
described in Think and Grow Rich. Outwitting the Devil will reveal
Hill's spiritual awakening and how each of us can learn from his
encounter with the Devil.
"If you undertake this job, you should interview not only
the few who have succeeded, but the many who have failed.
You should carefully analyze many thousands of people who
have been classed as 'failures,' and I mean by the term 'failures,'
men and women who come to the closing chapter oflife disappointed because they did not attain the goal which they had
set their hearts upon achieving. As inconsistent as it may seem,
you will learn more about how to succeed from the failures
than you will from the so-called successes. They will teach you
what not to do.
"Along toward the end of your labor, if you carry it
through successfully, you will make a discovery which may be
a great surprise to you. You will discover that the cause of success is not something separate and apart from the man; that
it is a force so intangible in nature that the majority of men
never recognize it; a force which might be properly called the
+
4
+
OUTWITTING
THE
DEVIL
'other self' Noteworthy is the fact that this 'other self' seldom
exerts its influence or makes itself known excepting at times of
unusual emergency, when men are forced, through adversity
and temporary defeat, to change their habits and to think their
way out of difficulty.
"My experience has taught me that a man is never quite so
near success as when that which he calls 'failure' has overtaken
him, for it is on occasions of this sort that he is forced to think.
If he thinks accurately, and with persistence, he discovers
that so-called failure usually is nothing more than a signal to
re-arm himself with a new plan or purpose. Most real failures
are due to limitations which men set up in their own minds.
If they had the courage to go one step further, they would discover their error."
~~Most real
failures are due to limitations which men
set up in their own minds. "
A negative mind-set and self-doubt can be the primary
obstacle to success. With the current economic downturn,
far too many people who have, all their life, done everything right are now, for the first time, facing severe economic adversity. The greatest barrier to their recovery is
their own fear and self-doubt instilled by their recent experience. Have you allowed the current economic downturn
to overtake you? Have self-doubt and self-sabotage held
you back from reaching your dreams? Are you your own
worst enemy? In Think and Grow Rich, Hill told the story of
R.U. Darby, a gold prospector. Frustrated when a rich vein
of gold apparently ran out, Darby sold his gold claim for
+5 +
NAPOLEON
HILL
a pittance to the town junkman. The junkman brought in
the right expert advisers and found that Darby would have
rediscovered the vein-had he moved his digging by a mere
three feet. Had Darby persevered he would have made his
fortune, but he gave up and abandoned his dreams-when
he was only three feet from gold. Rather than being crushed
by his error, Darby learned from his experience and went
on to build an insurance empire. Will you abandon your
quest just before reaching great success, when you are only
three feet from gold? (You can read how many of today's
icons persevered through difficult situations in the book
Three Feet (i-om Gold.)
Begin Life Anew
Mr. Carnegie's speech reshaped my entire life and planted in
my mind a burning purpose, which has driven me ceaselessly,
and this despite the fact that I had but a vague idea as to what
he meant by the term "other sel£"
During my labor of research into the causes of failure and
success I have had the privilege of analyzing more than 25,000
men and women who were rated as "failures," and over 500
who were classed as "successful." Many years ago I caught my
first glimpse of that "other self" Mr. Carnegie had mentioned.
The discovery came, as he said it would, as the result of two
major turning-points of my life, which constituted emergencies that forced me to think my way out of difficulties such as I
had never before experienced.
+
6
+
OUTWITTING
THE
DEVIL
I wish it were possible to describe this discovery without
the use of the personal pronoun, but this is impossible because
it came through personal experiences from which it cannot be
separated. To give you the complete picture I shall have to go
back to the first of these two major turning-points and bring
you up to the discovery step by step.
The research necessary for the accumulation of the data,
from which the seventeen principles of achievement and the
thirty major causes of failure were organized, required years
oflabor.
I had reached the false conclusion that my task of organizing a complete philosophy of personal achievement had
been completed. Far from having been completed, my work
had merely begun. I had erected the skeleton of a philosophy
by organizing the seventeen principles of achievement and the
thirty major causes of failure, but that skeleton had to be covered with the flesh of application and experience. Moreover, it
had to be given a soul through which it might inspire men and
women to meet obstacles without going down under them.
The "soul," which had yet to be added, as I discovered later,
became available only after my "other self" made its appearance, through two major turning-points of my life.
Resolving to turn my attention, and whatever talents
I might possess, into monetary returns through business
and professional channels, I decided to go into the profession of advertising, and I became the advertising manager of
the LaSalle Extension University of Chicago. Everything went
along beautifully for one year, at the end of which I was seized
by a violent dislike for my job and resigned.
I then entered the chain store business, with the former
president of the LaSalle Extension University, and became the
president of the Betsy Ross Candy Company. Unfortunate-or
+
7
+
NAPOLEON
HILL
what seemed to me at the time to be unfortunate-disagreements with business associates disengaged me from that
undertaking.
The lure of advertising still was in my blood, and I tried
again to give expression to it by organizing a school of advertising and salesmanship, as a part of Bryant & Stratton
Business College.
The enterprise was sailing smoothly and we were making
money rapidly when the United States entered World War 1.
In response to an inner urge which no words can describe,
I walked away from the school and entered the service of
the United States government, under President Woodrow
Wilson's personal direction, leaving a perfectly sound business to disintegrate.
On Armistice Day 1918, I began the publication of The
Golden Rule magazine. Despite the fact that I did not have a
penny of capital, the magazine grew rapidly and soon gained a
nation-wide circulation of nearly half a million, ending its first
year's business with a profit of$3,156.
For a proper perspective, $3,156 in 1918 would represent
$45,000 today based on the Consumer Price Index average
for each year compiled by the u.s. Bureau of Labor Statistics
and $202,000 using the nominal GDP per capita tables.
Not a bad profit for a first year in the magazine business . ..
when 80 to 90 percent of new titles fail and even the successful ones take three to five years to become profitable
( .
• 8.
OUTWITTING
THE
DEVIL
Some years later I learned, from an experienced publisher, that
no man experienced in the publication and distribution of
national magazines would think of starting such a magazine
with less than half a million dollars of capital.
The Golden Rule magazine and I were destined to part
company. The more we succeeded the more discontented
I became, until finally, due to an accumulation of petty annoyances caused by business associates, I made them a present of
the magazine and stepped out. Through that move perhaps I
tossed a small fortune over my shoulder.
This was only the beginning of Hill's love for magazines. The
Golden Rule was followed by his publication of The Napoleon
Hill Magazine. Later in life he became the editor of SUCCESS,
a magazine that is still published today.
Next I organized a training school for salesmen. My first
assignment was to train a sales army of3,000 people for a chain
store company, for which I received $10 for each salesman who
went through my classes. Within six months my work had
netted me a little over $30,000. Success, as far as money was
concerned, was crowning my efforts with abundance. Again
I became "fidgety" inside. I was not happy. It became more
obvious every day that no amount of money would ever make
me happy.
Without the slightest reasonable excuse for my actions,
I stepped out and gave up a business from which I might
easily have earned a healthy salary. My friends and business
•9 •
NAPOLEON
HILL
associates thought I was crazy, and they were not backward
about saying so.
Frankly, I was inclined to agree with them, but there
seemed nothing I could do about it. I was seeking happiness
and I had not found it. At least that is the only explanation
I could offer for my unusual actions. What man really
knows himself?
"Again I became Cfidgety'inside. I was not happy.
It became more obvious every day that no amount ofmoney
would ever make me happy."
I could have written this about myself a few years ago. But
when I took action by leaving a situation that, although financially rewarding, was no longer aligned with my personal mission, new doors of opportunity opened for me. It turned out
to be the best decision of my professional life. Can you think
of a time in your life when you made a difficult decision . .. but
knew it was the right one even when others questioned you?
That was during the late fall of 1923. I found myself
stranded in Columbus, Ohio, without funds, and worse still,
without a plan by which to work my way out of my difficulty.
It was the first time in my life that I had actually been stranded
because oflack of funds.
Many times previously I had found money to be rather
shy, but never before had I failed to get what I needed for my
personal conveniences. The experience stunned me. I seemed
totally at sea as to what I could or should do.
t
10
t
